Death toll rises to 45 in storm-hit PH

05:41 PM December 20th, 2015

The death toll from two storms which battered the Philippines rose to 45 Sunday as several towns remained under water and rain kept falling in northern regions, disaster monitoring officials said.The rain was caused by a cold front, dragged into the country by Typhoon Nona (international name Melor) and Tropical Depression Onyok which hit the Philippines in succession last week.

Floods almost three meters deep covered some riverside areas north of the capital Manila as heavy rain kept falling, civil defense offices said.

“Our home has been flooded up to the waist. It has been flooded for over two days,” said Mary Jane Bautista, 35, in the industrial town of Calumpit 50 kilometers north of the capital.

Her family and several others were forced to take refuge on nearby high ground — in front of a church where their only shelter is the awning over the entrance.

“My husband has to wade through the waters to go home to get supplies. If we need water, he has to go to the faucet in our kitchen,” she told AFP, expressing fears the current could wash him away.

Dramatic flooding to come in Ireland as the Shannon River’s waters rise

An overall view of the River Shannon flowing into Athlone Town: the National Emergency Coordination Centre has said there is a high risk. Photo by: RollingNews.ie

Towns along the River Shannon are still feeling the effects of recent extreme bad weather, with further rain possibly flooding areas that are not yet under water.

According to Ireland’s national weather service Met Éireann, there may be further “nasty” weather in the coming week, with the possibility of orange rain warnings for the south and southwest over the weekend.

Weather forecaster Gerald Fleming said at a briefing of the National Emergency Coordination Committee that there is no immediate danger as of yet, although it may develop into a serious weather event.

Air corps pictures over the Shannon area during Storm Desmond. Image: Air Corps/Photocall Ireland.

“There will be above normal rainfall over the course of the next six or seven days,” Fleming said.

“At the moment none of the individual events are at the orange status serious warnings level, but we’ll have to keep a very close eye on that because a couple of the events have the potential to get there.

“We’re in a situation where a number of those rain events have the potential to turn nasty, and potentially they could cause flooding in areas where there has been no flooding so far if that were to happen.”

Regions along the banks of the Shannon, Ireland’s longest river, are still battling with flooding caused by Storm Desmond over a week ago, with flood levels in the Lower Shannon area, from Lough Derg to Limerick City, only expected to reach their peak on Tuesday.

A resident walks past big waves spilling over a wall onto a coastal road in the city of Legaspi in Albay province, south of Manila, on Dec. 14.

More than 700,000 people in the central Philippines fled to safer areas for fear of giant waves, floods or landslides as Typhoon Melor slammed into the archipelago nation Monday, officials said.

Meteorologists from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) monitor and plot the direction of powerful Typhoon Melor at their headquarters in suburban Manila on Dec. 14.

Melor crossed the central Burias Island late Monday, with authorities warning that traditional thatched homes were unlikely to withstand the strong winds and that crops may suffer heavy losses. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The typhoon brushed the northern tip of Samar, a farming island of 1.5 million people, early Monday with winds gusting up to 185 kilometres (115 miles) per hour, the state weather bureau said.

Samar was among areas devastated in 2013 by Typhoon Haiyan, when giant waves wiped out entire communities and left 7,350 people dead or missing.

Authorities warned that Melor’s powerful winds might whip up four-metre-high (13-feet) waves, blow off tin roofs and uproot trees. They said heavy rain within its 300-kilometre diameter could trigger floods and landslides.

Sinkholes, slides endanger entire neighborhood in Tillamook

A neighborhood of seven homes overlooking the Tillamook River are banding together after extreme weather has caused their hillside to shift, sending bits of road, mud and trees onto their homes and barns.

It began Monday as a few little cracks on Burton Hill Road, just outside Tillamook. By Wednesday the cracks had collapsed into a quarter-mile series of sinkholes and creeping mud that put three homes at risk, pushed a barn off its foundation and left homeowners fearful of what will move next.

As the rains continue, they say only one thing is clear:

No one is coming to the rescue.

Morgan Kottre, 27, said she and her neighbors – some of them relatives – have been told by county, state and federal officials that they don’t qualify for assistance because Burton Hill Road and the lower Hillside Drive are private roads on private land. Same story from at least one insurance company. Kottre said a representative told one family the devastation qualifies as an “act of god,” which the insurer doesn’t cover.

“In theory, we could try to fight it,” she said, “but right now we’re just trying to fight the land.”

Storms over the past week that have brought flooding and landslides across northwestern Oregon. On Saturday afternoon, blizzard conditions closed three highways in Southern Oregon. The extreme weather has caused at least two deaths in Oregon and federal officials set early damage estimates at about $15 million.

Tillamook County was among the 13 counties where Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency. In fact, not far from Kottre’s home on Saturday night, the town of Oceanside was cut off as the only road out of town was closed due to a failed culvert.

Residents of Lindale, Texas took cell phone video of a tornado touching down on Saturday afternoon

Rare December tornadoes surprised East Texas on Saturday afternoon, damaging 50 homes, destroying a bridge and injuring two people.

At least one tornado, probably two, touched down around 4pm in Lindale, about 90 miles southeast of Dallas, according to KETK.

The mayor has issued a declaration of disaster for the city.

‘We saw these clouds and these little tornadoes that were shooting down and then one hit the ground. We saw it hit the ground, witness Melissa Malone told the outlet. ‘From there we called 911 and immediately alerted them and the sirens started going off.’

Residents in the area said that there were no storm warnings and alerts were not sent out

High winds blow train cars off trestle across Lufkin’s north loop

Section of loop expected to remain closed Monday

Derailed

ANDY ADAMS/The Lufkin News

Straight-line winds this morning blew rail cars off the railroad trestle — and their own wheels — across North John Redditt Drive, near the Pepsi plant on Lufkin’s north loop. The loop is closed from state Highway 103 west to U.S. 69 north.

ANDY ADAMS/The Lufkin News

Billboard down

Sunday morning’s straight-line winds that blew railroad cars off a trestle across Loop 287 near U.S. 69 north also destroyed a couple of billboards at that intersection, sending debris into nearby trees and power lines.

Straight-line winds on Sunday morning blew rail cars off the railroad trestle across Lufkin’s north loop, near the Pepsi plant and U.S. Highway 69 north.

Texas Department of Transportation officials said Sunday afternoon that they expected that section of the loop to remain closed for some or all of today as they clear the rail cars and repair the highway.

Two rail cars fell to the roadway beneath the railroad bridge. Dozens other rail cars came off the track, as well. A&NR Railroad owns and operates the railroad from which the cars were derailed.

Motorist Jose Torres posted this on The Lufkin News’ Facebook page on Sunday morning: “I got there right after it happened and you could hear the metal clanking as it was still slightly falling. No cars were pinned and noone looked to be injured. The train is always stationary at that location so no train operators seemed to have been injured either.”

Barricades will remain in place and motorists will be detoured until the roadway is cleared, according to Rhonda Oaks, public information officer for the Lufkin District. Residents with direct access as well as businesses within the barricaded area will be accommodated to and from their locations, she said.

“Removing the rail cars in the safest way possible will require certain things to happen,” Oaks said. “Our officials have devised a traffic control plan for motorists until the cars can be removed, and we are hoping that will be by Monday evening. We are waiting on equipment that is being sent from Houston before the cleanup can begin.”

Winds Blow Train Off Tracks In Lufkin, Texas

The Lufkin, Texas Police Department shared a photo on its Facebook page Sunday morning after winds blew a train off the tracks as it crossed a highway. An update says it will take at least 48 hours to upright the 64 rail cars.

Straight-line winds (also known as thundergusts and hurricanes of the prairie) are very strong winds that can produce damage, demonstrating a lack of a rotational damage pattern.[4] Such rotational damage patterns are associated with cyclonic storms including tornadoes and tropical cyclones. Straight-line winds are common with the gust front of a thunderstorm or originate with a downburst from a thunderstorm. These events can cause considerable damage, even in the absence of a tornado. The winds can reach 130 km/h (80 mph) and can last for periods of twenty minutes. Such straight-line wind events are most common during the spring when instability is highest and weather fronts routinely cross the country. Straight-line wind events in the form of derechos can take place in areas outside of the traditional tornado alley (such as in the northeastern United States/Great Lakes Region and across southern Canada).

Straight-line winds may be damaging to marine interests. Small ships, cutters and sailboats are at risk from this meteorological phenomenon.

Derechos can cause hurricane force winds, tornadoes, heavy rains, and flash floods. Convection-induced winds take on a bow echo (backward “C”) form of squall line, forming in an area of wind divergence in upper levels of the troposphere, within a region of low-level warm air advection and rich low-level moisture. They travel quickly in the direction of movement of their associated storms, similar to an outflow boundary (gust front), except that the wind is sustained and increases in strength behind the front, generally exceeding hurricane-force. A warm-weather phenomenon, derechos occur mostly in summer, especially during June, July, and August in the Northern Hemisphere, within areas of moderately strong instability and moderately strong vertical wind shear. They may occur at any time of the year and occur as frequently at night as during the daylight hours.

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WHAT ARE STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS?METEOROLOGIST JEFF HABY
There are several terms that mean the same as straight-line winds and they are convective wind gusts, outflow and downbursts. Straight-line wind is wind that comes out of a thunderstorm. If these winds meet or exceed 58 miles per hours then the storm is classified as severe by the National Weather Service. These winds are produced by the downward momentum in the downdraft region of a thunderstorm. An environment conducive to strong straight-line wind is one in which the updrafts and thus downdrafts are strong, the air is dry in the middle troposphere and the storm has a fast forward motion.
A storm with a strong updraft will tend to have a strong downdraft. When the CAPE is very high then strong or severe convective wind gusts could occur. Dry air aloft will entrain into the downdraft. This promotes evaporative cooling and this further enhances the negative buoyancy of a parcel. A cold parcel of air surrounded by warm air will sink since the cold air is more dense. The colder the parcel is compared to the surrounding air then the faster it will sink. Dramatically cooler air is often noticed at the surface when the downburst air reaches the observer. When a storm has a fast forward motion the rate that the downdraft is moving is added to the storm motion. This can produce strong to severe winds out ahead of the storm as the storm approaches.

Geographic information

Westmeath County Council has placed two families in alternative accommodation as flooding continues to threaten parts of Athlone town. While the family’s homes on the west side of town were not flooded, both houses suffered flooding in 2009 and the families asked to be moved because they found the current situation too stressful. River Shannon levels in Athlone rose by about 8cm between Wednesday and Thursday. However, due to the efforts of locals, council staff, the Defence Forces and the civil defence, floodwater was kept out of houses. Additional pumps have been deployed in some of the worst-affected areas. In places such as Deerpark Road, the water levels appear to have dropped. Despite the flood defence measures, there are major concerns about the impact further predicted bad weather could have on the town. Director of services at Westmeath County Council Barry Kehoe is hoping the forecast provided by the ESB is not accurate. It suggests a further rise of 31cm which would see the Shannon at levels just below those of 2009. “There is a bad forecast for Saturday of heavy rainfall,” Mr Kehoe said. “The effect of it will be to drag out the whole scenario into next week.” While some waste water had mixed with the flood water, Mr Kehoe said there was no problem with the water supply in the town. “It [the floodwater] always needs to be treated as dirty water and a hazard,” he said, adding that the council was prepared for evacuations. In the case of the two families who were provided with accommodation on Tuesday and Wednesday, Mr Kehoe said “some people have requested alternative accommodation as it is just too stressful for them”. In outlying areas such as Clonbonny and Carrickobrien, some people were “marooned”, Mr Kehoe said. A transport service was being provided to bring children to school, to take people to medical appointments and for other essential journeys. Although areas like the Strand and Wolfe Tone Terrace remain under threat on the east side of town, and Deerpark Road and The Park and Parnell Square on the west side, the remainder of the town is continuing to operate as normal. The Defence Forces has between 30 and 35 troops filling sandbags and moving heavy pumps in Athlone. A spokesman said the troops had been on flood defence operations since 7am.

Athlone fearful things will worsen next weekFriday, December 11, 2015

Westmeath County Council has placed two families in alternative accommodation as flooding continues to threaten parts of Athlone town.

While the families’ homes on the west side of town were not flooded, both houses suffered flooding in 2009, and the families asked to be moved because they found the situation too stressful.

Flood defence measures prevented flooding from occurring despite rising water levels in Athlone, Co Westmeath on Wednesday night. It’s estimated that 90 houses could flood in Athlone if water levels reach those last seen in November 2009.

River Shannon levels in Athlone rose by around 8cm between Wednesday and Thursday. However, thanks to the efforts of locals, council staff, the defence forces and the civil defence, floodwater was kept out of houses.

By Thursday morning the wind, which had been driving water towards the town, had eased as workers continued to battle the floodwater.

Extra pumps have been deployed in some of the worst affected areas. In places like Deerpark Road, the water levels appear to have dropped. Despite the flood defence measures there are major concerns about the impact further predicted bad weather could have.

Families request evacuation as flood threatens town

Flooding this week along the banks of the Shannon river near Athlone town. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons/The Irish Times

Westmeath County Council has placed two families in alternative accommodation as flooding continues to threaten parts of Athlone town.

While the family’s homes on the west side of town were not flooded, both houses suffered flooding in 2009 and the families asked to be moved because they found the current situation too stressful.

River Shannon levels in Athlone rose by about 8cm between Wednesday and Thursday. However, due to the efforts of locals, council staff, the Defence Forces and the civil defence, floodwater was kept out of houses. Additional pumps have been deployed in some of the worst-affected areas.

In places such as Deerpark Road, the water levels appear to have dropped. Despite the flood defence measures, there are major concerns about the impact further predicted bad weather could have on the town.

Geographic information

The village of Glenridding, which had been cut off since Sunday, was hit with a deluge of water after the river burst its banks. A “multi-agency” response, which includes the military and fire services, got under way last night amid concerns that the latest flooding may endanger lives. “Although the flood water is starting to recede, it is still extremely unsafe and would ask any members of the public not to walk or travel through any flood water”. “Cumbria police would like to urge the people of Glenridding to stay inside their properties to keep themselves and their families safe”, police said. The Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund 2015 is created to assist any individuals or families who suffer financial hardship as a result of the flooding caused by Storm Desmond. The military has been called in to the village to help deliver food and water. Mark Williamson, operations director for Electricity North West, said: “We have now restored power to the vast majority of homes in Cumbria”. Local farmer Joe Taylforth said he witnessed “folk holding hands” as they attempted to get out of their flood-ridden homes and businesses adjacent to the river. “This community is strong and will pull together again to make sure everything returns to normal as quickly as possible”. Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive of Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “It is hard to assess the scale of the need, but we know that the flooding will cause significant financial hardship and emotional distress”. John Bibby, 36, feared he would not be able to get wife Katharine to hospital because the Backbarrow bridge was destroyed and the only other road was under 3ft of water. The video shows the hugely swollen River Eamont rushing past the remains of Pooley Bridge following its collapse. He said work done after floods six years ago was not enough to help when the latest rain hit. This morning Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, described the situation as “absolutely horrendous” and said lessons must be learnt. There are reports that the water is 3ft deep in places, after flood defences were overtopped in two places. “They definitely need to do some upstream flooding rather than just waiting for it all to come down”. “Events like this serve as a harsh reminder of the finite capacity of our flood defences, and the destructive impact extreme flooding has on our communities”, says Professor David Balmforth, Flood Expert and Past President of the Institution of Civil Engineers. The Glenridding Hotel was under water again prompting the owners to issue an online appeal for people to bring sandbags to help cope with the problem.

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Storm Desmond claims its THIRD victim: Pensioner, 70, hit by sign blown over in high winds dies in hospital – as new aerial pictures show the awesome scale of the floods that have hit Cumbria

Pensioner, 70, has become the third person to die from Storm Desmond after he was hit by a falling sign in Berwick

Residents of Cumbrian village Glenridding are facing further torment after flooding hit the region for a second time

As homeowners began huge clean-up operation from weekend’s floods, nearby River Beck broke its banks again

A 70-year-old man has become the third person to die because of Storm Desmond after he suffered fatal injuries when he was hit by a falling sign which was blown over in high winds.

The pensioner was struck by the sign as he walked along a street in Berwick, Northumberland, as more than 13.5 inches of rain lashed the region on Saturday – bringing widespread flooding which has devastated entire communities.

He was taken to hospital but police today confirmed he died from his injuries last night, making him the third person to be killed as a result of the storm.

It comes after Ernie Crouch, 90, died when he was blown into the side of a moving bus by strong winds near Finchley Central Tube station in London on Saturday, and the body of a 78-year-old man was recovered after he fell into fast-flowing floodwater in the swollen River Kent in Kendal, .

Meanwhile, incredible aerial photographs taken today show the vast extent of the flooding which forced thousands of people out of their homes and left a wake of deluge and devastation.

The images show how much of Carlisle remains besieged by floodwater more than five days on from the record rainfalls which saw the worst flooding across the region in decades.

Incredible aerial photographs taken today show the vast extent of the flooding which forced thousands of people out of their homes in Carlisle and left a wake of devastation after Storm Desmond brought record amount of rainfalls including 13.5 inches in just 24 hours

These aerial photos show how Carlisle United Football Club’s ground has finally dried out after being besieged by waist-high floodwater

A large grass fire is burning several miles east of Fort Belknap. There are no reports of injuries at this time; the cause of the fire is not yet known. Randy Perez tells us that the fire is heading toward Pony Hill Cemetery, and is south of Savoy Road. Perez, who lives very close to where the fire is burning, says that it is burning in mostly grass-land, with some alfalfa. He tells us that the wind pushed the fire toward Savoy Road, and the fire then changed direction. Hundreds of tons of hay have burned; at this point, no livestock are believed to have perished. The fire is believed to be about nine miles long, and more than a mile wide. Perez says that ranches have moved two herd of cattle and 100 bulls from the area to escape the approaching flames. At least ten fire trucks are at the scene, with crews responding from the MT Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Harlem, Turner, Chinook, Dodson, Malta, and Fort Belknap. Authorities estimate that the fire has burned about 5,000 acres.

Fires Continue to Burn on Kootenai National Forest

Fires in Lincoln County continue to burn and send smoke to the Flathead Valley

By Beacon Staff // Sep 30, 2015 //

Unseasonably dry and warm fall weather has allowed the lightning-caused fires in the Goat Rock complex and Marston Fire to continue to burn and send smoke to the Flathead Valley.The fires in the Goat Rock complex have burned more than 22,000 acres and are located in and around the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness and Scotchman Peaks area. The Marston Fire has burned over 7,000 acres north of Trego.

While some of the fires are continuing to grow slowly, the majority of the burning is in the interior with pockets of fuel burning within the perimeter of the fires, fire managers say. These fires will continue to burn and put up smoke until the area receives significant rain and or snow.

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